Dino DuMuro

Trouble At The Mutual Admiration Society

1985 Phantom Soil cassette

In 1985 I read about the group from LA, The Underpeople in Option mag. After communicating and getting this excellent but short tape from BB Russell he mentioned a fellow SoCal home taper named Dino DiMuro. So, I wrote Dino ( if I recall correctly) and we hit it off right away. “Trouble At The Mutual Admiration Society” was the first tape I got from him and it was so perfect for me at the time with its personal, off center, excellently executed songs infused with humor, zappa sensibilties, and all around quality. I became a DiMuro fan immediately.  

I sent Dino one of my tapes and that was the start of a 30 year friendship. He was the first guy in the underground whom I became close personal friends with. For 30 years now we have followed the ups and downs of life, been supportive and even collaborated on one album and many other songs.

Unlike many of my home taper chums I have actually met Dino many times and hung out with him. A gregarious but sensitive person, Dino is a veteran of the Sound Editing profession ( even won an Emmy for it) in Hollywood and some of what he does at work gets transferred to his own music. This is not so much the case  on this particular tape which is more straight forward instrument and vocal playing. The fast pacing splicing and jump cuts he employed is mainly on other tapes and he is very much the master of this style.

The songs on this tape vary from all instrumental to confessional vocals always somewhat self deprecating but engaging.

Dino is one of my all time favorite home tapers and this is where it all started.

side one

bearings gained

trouble at the mutual admiration society

i need a girl with a walton’s face

side two

toby gets to eat seafood tonight

when you’re on the shitlist life can be a drag*

empty apartments

soli deo gloria

narration: Suzanne Larson

• vocals by Ted Lee

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